12 Things Every Man Should Know About Sperm

2015-11-24

It’s kind of hard to believe your body creates swimming, gene-toting cells designed to survive in someone else’s body. Not just that, but these are produced in the millions, all day, every day, for your entire life. Whether or not you’re hoping your sperm will make you a dad someday soon, you should brush up on information about these special creations and what yours may say about you. For just that purpose, we’ve enlisted the expertise of Michael Eisenberg, Director of Male Reproductive Medicine and Surgery at Stanford University Medical Center.

10% of Your Genes Are Devoted to Sperm Production

We’re custom-built to reproduce: “There are about 24,000 genes in the body, but in men about 10 percent of those are devoted to sperm production,“ says Eisenberg. This wealth of genes may be part of the reason why sperm vary so much within and between men. With that many genes involved, there is a lot we have yet to learn about the factors that make sperm function the way they do.

A Sperm’s Life Lasts Little More Than Three Months

It takes about two to three months for sperm to fully mature. Sperm begins in the seminiferous tubules in the testes. Once they develop a head and tail, they move into the epididymis, a coiled, 20-foot-long tube located behind the testis. It takes sperm about three weeks to pass through the epididymis, and it is fully mature once it reaches the end. Within a woman’s body, sperm can live for up to seven days. This is important because an egg is available for fertilization for only about 12 to 24 hours after being released from an ovary, and the sperm can take anywhere from half an hour to several days to reach it. This also means that a woman can become pregnant even if she releases an egg days after having unprotected sex.

The Vagina Is a Harsh Environment for Sperm

The average man ejaculates about 3 ml, or half a teaspoon, of semen. This fluid supports the sperm during its journey. “You need a certain amount of ejaculate volume to be able to buffer the harsher environment of the vagina,” says Eisenberg. Some women’s bodies even attack sperm as invaders, causing them to stick together (which inhibits motion), blocking them from the egg, or killing them. This reaction occurs as a result of sperm coming into contact with the woman’s bloodstream, which can happen through injury or infection. If sperm and blood come into contact in a man’s body, he can develop an anti-sperm response as well, but this is very rare.

Nearly Half of All Sperm Never Move at All

When you think of sperm, you think of little swimmers, whipping their long tails back and forth on their race to the egg. Some sperm move this way but many don’t. In fact, rather than judging them for skill or form, fertility standards often look at whether the sperm is moving forward and whether it’s moving at all. On average, only about 50 to 60 percent of sperm show any movement.

Most Sperms are Mutants

A common test used to measure the appearance of sperm, called the Kruger Strict Morphology, says that if 14 percent or more of your sperm looks normal, you have a good chance of fertilizing an egg. If it’s above 4 percent, the outlook is below average but still decent. “When I talk to men and they have 2 percent [normal] morphology, I always let them know that we’re not shooting for the moon with this, it’s a lower orbit where normal is 3 or 4 percent,” says Eisenberg.

Sperm Count Can Say a Lot About Your Health

Beyond fertility, the health of a man’s sperm can be telling of his general health and well-being. “If the overall being is not healthy, I think it can be reflected in its reproductive potential,” says Eisenberg. Reproduction isn’t necessary for survival, so if the body isn’t doing well, it may divert resources away from reproductive organs to other places where they’re more urgently needed. This could result in lower quality sperm. High body mass, poor sleep quality, high stress, cigarette smoking, and heart disease are all associated with lower sperm quality.

What Happens with Age

Men make sperm throughout their entire lives, but sperm quality likely declines with age. As men get older, there tends to be a drop in the volume of ejaculate (but not concentration), percent of motile (moving) sperm, and amount of normal-looking sperm. There have also been some studies that suggest that children whose fathers had them at an older age are more likely to have certain genetic disorders, including autism, epilepsy, and schizophrenia.

What Sperm Should Look Like

The basic parts of the sperm are the head (which holds the DNA), the midpiece (which contains mitochondria that fuel the sperm), and the tail. All of these parts have expected shapes and sizes. In most cases, however, sperm look far from ideal. “There’s a lot of biologic waste in the system,” says Eisenberg. “So, a lot of sperm that we make in general don’t look totally normal, but that’s not necessarily a problem.” Many of your sperm may have lumpy heads, two heads, two tails, or various other issues. Although it may be unsettling, these many deviations are the be-all and end-all determinant of sperm quality.

Sperm Count and Testicular Cancer

Poor sperm counts can be an indicator of testicular cancer later on. Given this all happens in the same area, the association makes sense. However, you shouldn’t feel your fate is sealed just because your sperm quality is low. “It’s important to know that testes cancer is very, very rare,” says Eisenberg. “Less than 1 percent of all men get it.” Also important to know: men who have only one testicle can still be fertile.

Are You Average?

The number of sperm in a man’s ejaculate is a common measure of fertility. This concentration is important, but it can fall within a wide range without being a problem. “The average in this country, interestingly, varies by different regions of the country,” says Eisenberg. “It probably also varies by race or ethnicity.” Average in the United States is around 60 to 100 million sperm per milliliter. Less than 15 million per milliliter or 39 million per ejaculation is considered low.

How to Boost Your Sperm Count

Nothing you read online can take the place of one-on-one help with a medical professional, but there are a few changes we know can help sperm production. “In general, anything that’s good for the heart is good for fertility, but there may need to be some caveat to that,” says Eisenberg. First, eat healthy and don’t smoke. Exercise is usually a great idea as well, except in special cases, such as long-distance cycling. Sperm like to be about four degrees colder than the rest of your body, which is why your testicles hang away from you. When you cram them into tight, hot shorts for a long time, it can affect your fertility. Avoid saunas and hot tubs too if you’re worried about conceiving.

Semen’s Role

You probably already know this one, but sperm and semen are two different things. Sperm are the individual cells that carry DNA intended to fertilize an egg. They are ejaculated with semen, which is everything else that comes out during ejaculation. Sperm’s importance is obvious, but semen plays a vital role as well. “It’s fluid that contains proteins and sugars that allow the sperm to survive in the vagina and give it the energy to get where it needs to go — which is ultimately to the egg,” says Eisenberg.

By Taylor Kubota

Watch Porn With Your Partner

So you want to bring porn into your relationship. That’s not necessarily a bad idea, says Ava Cadell, the author of NeuroLoveology — as long as you don’t have too many expectations.  “Think of it as an adventure for the two of you — something that’s going to enrich your relationship,“ she says. Still, porn isn’t for every couple and if you go in too hot, it can add stress to your sex life.

Don’t make it a surprise. 
Some porn to spice up your love life could be a fun surprise, right? Nope. “Talk about it before you turn it on,” says Cadell. People can have big differences of opinion about porn. Some don’t want to see it no matter what; for others, certain types of porn will be a big turn-off.

Find a reason.

Are you in it for the sexy voyeurism or to learn new moves? As background to help get in the mood, or a shared experience in itself? Talk about what you want to get out of it so that you two are on the same page and have the same expectations.

And then get a quality film.
Don’t get lazy and just use the only movie you already own. Put some thought into it; that should be part of the fun. Cadell recommends going online and considering the winners of the AVN porn awards. Other good choices for couples are educational porn made for the couples audience, like ones that Cadell has produced.

When it doubt, pick a parody.

It can be nerve-racking for even porn connoisseurs to bring the person they care about in on the action with you, so watching porn that makes you laugh can take some of the pressure off. “I kind of like the parodies myself,” says Cadell. “They’re big productions and they can be really entertaining.” She also suggests porn musicals if you’re looking to keep the mood light.

Don’t make it the main event.
Even if you’ve been with your partner for a while, don’t forget the rest of the date. Have dinner, go out to a bar, or draw her a bubble bath before.

Use the experience to learn about her desires.

As you’re watching, keep an open mind. It’s unlikely that you know everything that turns your partner on or all the sexual experiences they’ve had in life. Being judgmental or reactive shuts everyone down. If they say they aren’t into something you express interest in, don’t wallow. Instead, ask them why or move on. Also, Cadell says not to assume that all women find porn demeaning or that all men who watch it are addicted.

Avoid discussion of who’s hotter.
Listen up to this one: “It’s really important that [men] don’t verbalize how hot they think the women are on the movie,” says Cadell. “It can make a woman feel insecure if she thinks a guy is watching the movie and fantasizing about the actress (the performer) instead of her.” Focus instead on erotic compliments the film inspires about your partner. Tell her what you like better about her body or sex techniques. It may seem contrived, but these can really help a woman feel confident and comfortable.

Use the movie to hint to your wants.

This is not the smoothest move for the first time you watch porn together, but eventually, you might want to ease in some content that interests you that is less mainstream. “If you want your partner to do something specific to you, even if it’s a fetish — like a foot fetish — make sure you get a movie that has that in it and say, I’d really like to try that, that looks exciting, I think that would turn me on,” says Cadell.

By Taylor Kubota

If You Have ED You May Have Diabetes

Lots of men with erectile dysfunction ignore the issue. Being a blow to their ego, they cannot accept their predicament and so operate in denial for some time. The problem is ED is often a symptom of a more serious condition. A new analysis published in the Annals of Family Medicine, finds that those with ED are at twice the risk of having undiagnosed diabetes. Previous studies have found that ED is an early indicator of heart disease. Cardiologists call it the “canary in the coal mine.” But no one has until now considered it an early indicator of diabetes. Canadian researchers from several universities worked together to complete the analysis. They scoured the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey and looked at the years 2001–2004. This is a health survey of the noninstitutionalized U.S. population, taken every two years. 4,519 men age 20 and older answered the survey. Researchers examined their data noting the relationship between erectile dysfunction, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes.

“How would you describe your ability to get and keep an erection adequate for satisfactory intercourse?” was the question the survey asked. For those men who answered “never able” or “sometimes able” researchers examined their fasting glucose, cholesterol, and blood pressure measurements. Scientists then analyzed this data along with the men’s ages to determine the likelihood of the respondents having cardiovascular disease or diabetes. Researchers found a strong correlation between ED and undiagnosed diabetes. Around 45% of U.S. adults have high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or diabetes. But 15% of cases go undiagnosed. According to the aforementioned study, for men between the ages of 40 and 59, those without ED have a one in 50 chance of developing diabetes. But for those with ED, the risk is one in 10. If you are experiencing ED, it is likely your body is trying to tell you something. Listen to it. The quicker one gets treatment the better off you are in the long run. Any man experiencing ED should talk to a doctor or urologist right away.

Do You Have What it Takes to Satisfy Your Partner?

What is the ideal penis size? That is a difficult question to answer. It all depends on who your partner is. Most men assume seven inches to be ideal in terms of penile dimensions. Perhaps the viewing of pornography has given them this impression. But these films are completely staged and those actors are selected for their mammoth size. We have a cultural expectation that bigger is better. So the directors of those films select men who are enormous, which solidifies our belief that a larger penis is actually of higher value. This is a life-reflects-art-reflects-life scenario. But according to a study published in Psychology of Men & Masculinity, in real life women prefer a penis within the average range. A six inch penis was considered ideal by female participants in that study. According to their findings, women prefer average over large. Los Angeles sex therapist Brandy Engler, Psy.D said that it is men who prefer a larger penis, not women. According to her, it is more about status than sex. Penis size is how men size each other up.

For women, an enormous penis is often painful. Penetration at certain depths can cause the tip to slam into the cervix, which can be quite painful. But for men, preoccupation with size often makes them oblivious to these concerns. Penile inadequacy is a common psychological condition among men in our society. But it does not have to be. The vast majority are average in size. There is such a thing as a small penis, but it is very rare. Rarer still is the micropenis. If one believes that he does not have sufficient length or girth, avoid supplements or devices that make big promises. Chances are they will fail to deliver. These are not regulated by any controlling agency, and have been found to be at best ineffective and at worst dangerous. Men feeling inadequate should see a doctor or urologist, and get checked out. Discuss the matter at length with a medical professional. But sex experts agree that the vast majority of men have the equipment it takes to please their partner. What is really important is approach and technique.